Image from A HOUSE IN THE HILLS

A message from Josie, Mrs North Carolina 2013

This was posted on Josie's facebook page yesterday:

Family, friends and followers,

I am being honest, if it wasn't for the Trichotillomania Learning Center sending this video out to over 15,000 people already, I am not sure I would have had the guts to post it. My makeup has always been my mask for covering up the results of #trichotillomania and I never in a billion year imagined sharing the side of me without makeup to the public.

I pray this video reaches those who are searching for the answer to their hair pulling or skin picking problem and raises all kinds of awareness!

I never thought I would say this, but please share this video? I guess what I am saying is, I am all in!

A HUGE thank you to Will Johnson for doing this video for me and TLC. Also to Jackie Green for doing my makeup :) and last but most certainly not least, to my husband Andrew for encouraging me to do it. I love you!

Trichees and their supporters,

God loves you and so do I

Way to go, Josie!!!

Today I got my hair cut and highlighted by Jamie (she's wonderful).  And she thanked me for sending her an article about trich.  She said it gave her a better understanding about trich.  Which she was grateful for because she had another customer with trich- a young girl.  She had goosebumps just telling me about this sweet young girl.  The young girl has no lashes and I pointed out to Jamie that I pull my lashes too.  I showed her up and close... And I didn't feel awkward at all.  We talked about trich for a bit... And I just realized that I wasn't even aware of the other people in the salon.  Who knows if anyone overheard- I felt comfortable enough where that didn't even cross my mind.  Hoping and praying that with more awareness others will feel comfortable  and not ashamed about having trichotillomania.

Source: sarahjanestudios.com via Forgotten on Pinterest

Pulling others

I've had this post drafted since July '12... I just couldn't get myself to finish it and hit "publish."  Why?  Cause this part of trich just seems weird to me... especially cause I don't know how common it is among other trichsters.  Like will this make me even seem weird to them?!

So here it is... well, you can probably guess by the title.  Not only do I pull my own hair, but I pull others.  I'm serious... I pull out other peoples' hair.  Well, let me make it clear- just my immediate family.  Not like strangers... although sometimes I see hairs on people that are begging to be pulled.  I think to myself, "If that was my hair, I'd pull it!"  So yes, I pull my family's hair.  

Husband- I pull his white hairs... just a few at a time.  He doesn't care.  I'm sure he doesn't think it's trich related cause lots of people pull out those few white hairs... except in his case it's his wife pulling them.  I'm sure he'd think I was crazy if I got out the tweezers and pulled ever last single white hair out though.  Those white hairs bug me- they stand out so much against is auburn hair.  

My children- I pull those occasionally stray hairs that are just sticking up out of nowhere.  Not sure how much they've noticed (cause it's normally when I'm brushing or styling their hair).  But I have heard my son say "ouch" a few times.  

  

My cats- yes, even the cats.  My sweet Pinky is a calico cat.  And in some of her black patches she'll have one, just one, random white hair.  And it bugs me.  She'll tolerate me pulling a couple, but if I pull too many she gets annoyed and walks away.  Can't blame her :)  

Now, I don't do this often.  My family doesn't have bald patches or anything :)  But I do it enough where I'm aware of it.  And I think it's weird.  And I'm pretty sure you will too, but... there it is.  

*Update, I googled it.  And this article in TIME said, "a small minority pull other people's hairs."

Artwork by my friend at Lindsay Letters.  You should definitely check her out- she does amazing work!  She made this print for my sister Christina.

Yesterday I lost all my beads.  Yesterday I lost one pesky lash.  Yesterday I spiraled down and lost many more lashes.  Yesterday I was in a bad mood.  Yesterday I was so frustrated.  And then... yesterday I heard about Moore, Oklahoma.  I don't normally stray from the topic of trich on this blog... but my troubles with trich yesterday seem so unimportant now.  Yesterday I didn't lose a child.  Yesterday I didn't lost my home.  Yesterday I didn't suffer the pain of losing everything.  

So today I'm...